


Never Alone

by VampirePaladin



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Gen, Sharing a Body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 19:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8173886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/pseuds/VampirePaladin
Summary: At the end of a time loop Sayaka confronts Homura.  In her anger she wishes for the power to stop Homura.  When the timeline restarts Homura finds that she isn't the only one in her body.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [13lackbirds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/13lackbirds/gifts).



The servant of the Incubators had no proper name for herself. Most magical girls had names of their own. If she were to guess why it would be because she wasn’t a natural creation and it wasn’t like the Incubators bothered with personal names for themselves. 

She did as they commanded of her without question or hesitation. Loyalty to the Incubators was her first, last, and only concern. If they told her to thin out a mass of witches that were killing too many magical girls too quickly then she’d go kill witches. If a magical girl needed to be taken out then she’d kill the magical girl. If someone needed a little push to contract or to turn into a witch then she’d do that too. She’d even been utilized to fight against other alien species that opposed the Incubators.

Right now, the servant was approaching a house. The walls were made of brick. She knew right now that most girls would be getting out of school soon. There was only a narrow window for her to work in.

She willed herself into her blue and purple magical girl form. There was a shield on one arm and a sword in the other. With a click the hourglass inside of her shield closed off the thin passage that sand would fall through. Time all around her was stopped. The servant stood before the wooden door and brought her sword up. She brought it down in a slash, releasing an arc of magical energy and destroying the door.

Inside was a man. The servant didn’t know who he was or why he mattered. All she knew was what she was ordered to do. She stepped in front of him and let time resume.

“Who-“ was all he managed to get out before he was impaled on the servant’s sword. She was careful and skilled enough to make sure it was painful, messy, and would take a long time for him to die, all as ordered by the Incubators.

She let go of the hilt and froze time once more. The servant stepped outside once more and leapt up to the roof before letting time resume. It wasn’t long before the girl that lived here returned home from school. She heard the scream as the girl discovered her dying father. Kyubey would then appear with the girl and would offer her a single wish in exchange for becoming a magical girl. The servant had done this enough times to know that the girl would take the deal.

She waited up there awhile longer before Kyubey appeared next to her. 

“You have done well.”

The servant felt a wave of pleasure wash over her. The feeling never grew old or less intense. Completing a mission for the Incubators was the only thing that caused her to feel pleasure.

“It looks like it is time to go.”

Both Incubator and girl vanished only to reappear inside of what could only be described as an Incubator space station. It was used for managing a dozen planets, including Earth. Most Incubators took on the familiar long eared, cat-like body, but some had other forms suited for the populations of other planets.

The servant didn’t need to be told what to do. Her shield could only manipulate about a month’s worth of time. So every mission required an Incubator to change it. She began walking along the blue, crystal floors to head back to the lab. 

On her way she passed a room with an open door. Inside of that room was a girl with pink hair tied up in twin-tails using a pair of red ribbons. The girl was quantum locked. She would never age, die, or suffer.

The servant paused and the continued on. That girl was no concern to her.

 

Mitakihara was nothing more than a blasted pile of rubble. Bodies littered the ground like an obscene form of spring flower. Pools of stagnant water, unsafe to drink due to mingling with the sewage water, gave everything a damp feel and made everything smell. The sky had mostly cleared but a few clouds Akemi Homura stood along amongst the rubble. In the distance she could see Krimheld Gretchen, the witch form of her most precious friend. 

Once more Homura had failed in her self-appointed mission to protect Madoka Kaname. She had felt like she was so close this time. Neither Madoka Kaname nor Miki Sayaka had contracted. Homura had managed to make an early alliance with Mami Tomoe. Kyoko Sakura had never come to Mitakihara this time, so that was both one less potential ally but also one less person that could lead Madoka into contracting with Kyubey. Walprugisnacht had been seriously hurt by the combined firepower of Homura and Mami. She felt closer to victory than she ever had been before. Then Hitomi Shizuki was crushed by falling rubble. Madoka contracted with Kyubey to save her friend and then took out Walpurgisnacht with a single plow before instantly going witch herself. Mami didn’t have time to react to Krimheld Gretchen’s onslaught and had been instantly pulled into her barrier. 

“You,” a familiar angry voice called out to Homura. She had heard that voice so many times, in the exact same tone. She didn’t need to turn to know who was speaking. Yet, Homura turned to face her anyways.

“Sayaka Miki.” It was both a statement and a greeting.

“This is all your fault!”

“I won’t deny that.”

“We trusted you! You acted like our friend!” Sayaka was screaming just to scream. The raw grief of losing her best friend wanted to escape out of her too small body and into the air. It wasn’t just Madoka who she had lost. While Hitomi was alive, other friends and loved ones had been lost in the attack.

Homura simply brushed her hair back and turned away from Sayaka. She understood Sayaka’s grief better than Sayaka knew but she had no time to comfort the other girl. Right now the only option was to turn back time. Homura would try once more to save everyone, especially Madoka.

“Kyubey, I’m ready to make a contract.”

“What wish do you desire to be granted, Sayaka Miki?” Kyubey had a habit of appearing out of nowhere right at the opportune moment. Normally he would have left Earth after all the energy he had just collected in one swoop, but the amount of energy from a normal seeming girl had surprised him and so he had stayed.

“I wish I had power like Homura Akemi’s. I wish that I could stop her.”

Homura ignored the two of them as she reached out to her shield. With one hand on the cool, round side, she turned it upside down, prepared to start over once more. Just as the familiar winds of time reached out to take Homura back she felt a pain in the back of her head. Then it was gone as the world around Homura turned to white.

 

Homura’s eyes opened inside the too white hospital room. Once more her vision was a blur. She meant to get out of bed but her limbs stayed put. A hand reached out in front of her but Homura wasn’t the one that moved it.

“What’s going on? Where am I?” It was Homura’s voice that made those words but it wasn’t Homura that gave the orders for them to be said.

_Why can’t I control my own body?_

“How said that?”

_Can you hear me?_

“What kind of question is that? Of course I can hear you. Who are you?”

_Homura Akemi. Who are you?_

“Homura? Where are you?” Homura’s body twisted around, looking.

_I asked who are you._

“I’m Sayaka.”

_Look at your hands._

For the first time in many loops Homura felt dread welling up inside of her stomach and about to hatch out. Her vision turned downward as her hands were lifted up. On one hand was Homura’s familiar Soul Gem in ring form. On the other hand was the far less familiar Soul Gem of Sayaka Miki.

Sayaka had gone back in time with Homura and now they were sharing the same body.

 

Sayaka was running. She had to get away from that hospital, that voice, those words. There was no way that she was in the past. It was impossible for her to be in Homura Akemi’s body. She heard a woman, a nurse, yell at her to stop. No, she was yelling for Homura to stop running.

_Sayaka Miki, stop it. Just running out of the hospital is going to cause problems._

“Stop it!”

There was a blue flash and Homura’s body was now clothed in the garments of a magical girl. They weren’t the typical purple and black clothes of Homura rather they were Sayaka’s white and blue ones. With the enhancement of a magical girl’s power Homura’s body became a streak of blue. Down streets she ran. Over bridges she raced. To the tops of buildings she jumped with such strength that she almost flew.

Sayaka final stopped on the rooftop of a skyscraper. The wind was ripping at her, trying to pull her off. There were a few tears on her cheeks. She could still feel that other presence in her mind. When she looked at herself she saw the magical girl clothing that looked so right and then the utterly wrong black hair.

_Sayaka Miki, my power as a magical girl allows me to repeat the same period of time until I get it right. I’ve never brought someone back with me. We need to find your body in the past and then we can get you back to where you belong._

“How do I know I can trust you?”

_Because you are in control of my body. The rings are our Soul Gems. Mine is the purple one and yours is the blue. Take a closer look at them._

Sayaka did as she was instructed. The rings were both silver and they had different runes on each ring. What the runes said, she had no idea. The blue gem was bright and clear, like a Christmas tree’s light. The purple one was bright, but noticeably less bright than the other.

_Magical girls clean their Soul Gems with Grief Seeds. Yours is brand new so it is full of magic. I was fighting Walpurgisnacht so I have less magic. I think that’s the reason why you are controlling my body._

“But where is my body?”

_I… don’t know. I guess it would be wherever you were when I was in the hospital. Do you remember where you were on the sixteenth of last month?_

“Today is… what day of the week was the sixteenth?”

_Wednesday._

“If it’s morning then I’d be home, getting ready for school. I meet Madoka and Hitomi on the way.” 

Sayaka walked to the edge of the building. It was so high up that she got a flash of vertigo. Had she really jumped all the way up here? That seemed pretty impossible. Maybe she could find a way inside the building and she could take the stairs or the elevator down to the first floor.

Without any direction from Sayaka, she jumped off the building. To her surprise she managed to easily land, bending her knees to help absorb some of the impact.

_So, I can take control if I push at it._

“Don’t do that!”

_It’s my body._

“Yeah, well I’m inside it too right now and I don’t really like life or death surprises.”

_I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m not going to do anything that is going to kill me._

“At least give me a warning next time.”

_I’m not making any promises._

It seemed like that was going to be the best Sayaka that was going to get out of Homura. So she just sighed, turned herself around and began walking in the direction of her home. The sooner she was back in her own body the sooner all of this was going to be all over.

 

Sayaka had used her Soul Gem’s magic to morph the hospital clothing into something a bit more comfortable. She wore a pair of jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. It was surprisingly easy to do. The long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Sayaka wasn’t used to feeling the extra weight on her head, but it didn’t feel right to just cut off Homura’s hair.

When she reached the apartment building Sayaka took a deep breath before hitting the buzzer marked with her last name.

“Hello, can I help you?” came the voice of Sayaka’s mother warped by the electronic speaker.

“Hello M-Mrs. Miki, is Sayaka home?”

“Sayaka’s just about ready to go. She’ll be right downstairs.”

_Good, we’ll just sneak inside, return you to your body, and then forget this ever happened. I need to take control._

“Okay.” Sayaka stood there and waited. “Well, aren’t you going to do anything?”

_It took a lot of effort to jump off the building. I need you to take a stop controlling my body so I don’t have to fight._

“And how am I supposed to do that? I don’t even know how I’m controlling your body.”

That was when the door slid open and out stepped Sayaka Miki in her school uniform. 

“You aren’t Madoka or Hitomi. Who are you?”

“I’m-I’m-I’m-“ Sayaka fumbled for the words to say to this other her. Her mind was panicked, scurrying from idea to idea.

“I’m Homura Akemi. I’ll be transferring to the same school as you and wanted to meet you.” It wasn’t Sayaka, but Homura who spoke. Even with the same voice coming from the same lips the way the two talked was noticeably different.

“Um… hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

The other Sayaka Miki gave Homura’s body one more confused look before walking off. Neither Homura nor Sayaka needed to be psychic to know exactly what the other Sayaka was thinking. 

Sayaka could feel her lips turning into a frown, even though she wasn’t the one that was making them frown.

“Sayaka, try to speak.”

_Hello?_

“I can hear you. It looks like we have switched positions.” Homura began walking away from the apartment building.

_Where are we going?_

“Back to the hospital. I still need to officially check out and come up with a convincing story about why a girl with a weak heart suddenly outran the entire nursing staff.”

_What about putting me back in my body?_

“I don’t know. I expected your body to be empty. I didn’t think it would be in use.”

_Then what happens to me?_

Homura grit her teeth and silently continued the walk back to the hospital. She pushed Sayaka’s ramblings away from her and instead focused on how she was going to deal with the staff. Homura didn’t look down as she tried to pull Sayaka’s ring off of her finger.

The ring didn’t move.

 

It was another normal day at school. There was little Madoka could even think to wish for in her life. She had a supportive family and a pair of wonderful best friends. Maybe it would be nicer to not struggle so much with her English homework, but that was something she could and was already working toward with her own power. Ms. Saotome had gone on another rant about men and how to cook eggs. Once again Nakazawa was put on the spot. Madoka wondered why he was the one that always got called on during Ms. Saotome’s relationship rants. Finally at the end of it all was the announcement that a new student would be joining the class.

A girl with long dark hair walked in. She had an air of grace and mystery to her. She wore the same school uniform as everyone else and she wore it within regulations. 

“Oh, it’s that weird girl,” she heard Sayaka say. 

Madoka turned her head towards Sayaka and softly asked “Weird girl?”

“She showed up at my place before school a few days ago.”

The expression on the new girl’s face was an odd one to describe. She kept on looking at Madoka and Sayaka. There was something familiar but weird about the girl at the same time. Madoka felt herself shrink at her desk, willing the new girl to stop looking at her so much.

When the new girl, introduced as Homura Akemi, walked back to take her seat she smiled at Madoka. It was a comfortable, familiar smile that looked so wrong and out of place on that face.

 

Sayaka found herself a passenger in Homura’s body over the course of several days. She did briefly manage to smile at Madoka when transferring into school, but that was it. Homura was working towards something, though Sayaka didn’t know what. It was frustrating being able to feel, to touch, to taste, but not being able to actually do anything.

Still, even if Sayaka didn’t know what Homura’s ultimate plan was she at least learnt a few things. She learnt about witches, how to fight them, and how to clean a Soul Gem. Sayaka didn’t know why, but it seemed like Homura didn’t trust Kyubey.

 

“Sayaka Miki, use the Grief Seed to purify your Soul Gem,” Homura said. Her tone was level and her inflections were flat. Homura wasn’t speaking to the Sayaka Miki that was in front of her and not the one that shared her body.

That foolish girl had contracted in this timeline. Homura had prevented her from finding out the truth about magical girls. Even though Homura’s concern for Sayaka was mostly connected to how she affected Madoka, she knew that Hitomi would have given her ultimatum by this point. In a twist she didn’t see very often, Sayaka did confess her feelings to Kyosuke, only to be rejected. This had led to Sayaka throwing herself completely into witch hunting without taking the rewards. She was dangerously close to turning into a witch. Seeing how the darkened Soul Gem caused Sayaka to act, making Madoka concerned and worried about her friend, really hurt Homura.

_Come on, use the Grief Seed. We have to protect everyone._

Homura ignored the Sayaka in her body trying to urge the other Sayaka on.

“Sayaka,” cried a girlish, young voice. Madoka came running toward Sayaka, almost tripping over herself to get to her friend. “Sayaka, are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Madoka,” Sayaka said with a smile that held no joy, only sorrow “I’m so sorry.”

Sayaka’s Soul Gem shattered. In its place was a Grief Seed. An unnatural wind pushed and pulled at everything that wasn’t bolted down to the ground.

Homura stopped time, walked over to Madoka, grabbed hold of her hand and then to a metal pole before time resumed once more. Her grip on Madoka’s hand was good enough and the tempest from the witch’s birth would soon be over.

_I don’t understand. What’s going on?_

“You just turned into a witch. Magical girls that don’t clean their Soul Gems become witches.” Homura knew that Madoka wouldn’t be able to hear her over the noise. She could barely even hear herself.

_You have to be joking. There’s no way that’s possible._

Homura said nothing as the unnatural wind passed. She still held Madoka’s hand shaking in her own.

“Madoka, it isn’t safe here,” there was just a hint of softness in Homura’s voice. She knew just how much Madoka treasured Sayaka. Even though Homura didn’t feel anywhere near as much affection toward Sayaka as Madoka she knew how she felt every time she saw Madoka die and it hurt thinking how much Madoka was hurting.

“Sayaka,” Madoka sobbed as she ran, Homura’s grip almost pulling her along. She didn’t get to rest until they were far from the witch’s barrier.

 

Homura knew Sayaka was still there inside of her, but she didn’t really speak for the rest of the loop. Once again Homura had failed to save Madoka’s life. Time reset itself back to the hospital. She still had Sayaka’s Soul Gem. It felt odd having her there but not doing anything. She always felt like there was someone there, just out of her sight.

Maybe it was because of compassion or pity, but she found herself being a bit kinder to the other Sayaka this time around. This time she tried befriending Madoka and her other friends. Homura’s Sayaka briefly mentioned that Madoka preferred hot chocolate over coffee when Homura was buying drinks.

The time Homura fought Walpurgisnacht alone. She wasn’t going to hold anything back this time. All the weapons she had been stealing across multiple timelines, all her plans, every ounce of magic she had, just to defeat the greatest of witches. She thought she had been doing well this time too. But no, in the end she lay on the ground, battered and broken. All she could do was watch with sad eyes as Madoka contracted, killed Walpurgisnacht and instantly turned into a witch. She didn’t even have enough magical energy left to move her arm and take her last Grief Seed from her shield.

“C’mon, you can’t give up now, transfer student.” Sayaka used her own magical energy to move their arm, to take the Grief Seed, and to place it on Homura’s Soul Gem.

_Why? We don’t even like each other._

“Madoka’s my friend too. Let’s go back and try again.”

 

Over the course of several loops Sayaka and Homura got to know each other. Sayaka learnt the details of previous loops and what Homura’s life was like before becoming a magical girl. Homura learnt about Sayaka growing up with everyone else. 

There were certain advantages to sharing a body. They had access to two sets of magical girl powers. After gaining a few loops worth of experience Sayaka had turned into a more skilled fighter than Homura would have thought possible. If one of the two of them came close to turning into a witch all she had to do was give up control of their shared body to conserve magic while the other took care of getting them a Grief Seed.

It was also kind of nice having someone to talk to. Homura could discuss plans and ideas with her. Just knowing someone else understood what she was going through helped. Sharing a body with another magical girl was quickly becoming the new normal for both of them.

 

“We did it, Miss Akemi,” Hitomi said with a smile. Her green Soul Gem glowed bright. It was almost as bright as the sun coming out from behind the clouds after the battle with Walpurgisnacht.

“Yeah, we did it.” It was clear to either Homura or Sayaka who had spoken and who was the one that was making their body smile.

It had taken some manipulation, it wouldn’t have been possible without Sayaka’s knowledge of Hitomi, but they had managed to create a circumstance where Hitomi did have a wish strong enough that she would contract with Kyubey. Kyubey found her and contracted with her right away. After that it was just a matter of befriending her and forming an alliance against Walpurgisnacht. 

All of the others were safe and sound. Kyoko, Mami, Madoka and even the other Sayaka were still alive and well.

_Sayaka, I would like to focus on a way of getting you out of my body, but until we find a way to do it without hurting you I’m fine with staying like this._

_I feel the same way, Homura_

And then the shield turned upside down and sent Homura and Sayaka back into the past once more.

 

Homura’s eyes were blurry as she started crying. Why had this happened? She’d done it. She’d saved Madoka and everyone else. She sat up and sobbed into her hands. 

“It isn’t fair! Why? Why are we back here again? I did it- We did it. Madoka was safe. My wish finally came true.”

_Homura, it’s okay. We know what worked last time. We can do it again._

The tear’s stopped flowing but it wasn’t because Homura had stopped crying. Sayaka had forcibly taken control of their body. Homura wasn’t in a condition where she could be the one driving. They had gone through the loop enough times together that Sayaka knew what needed to be done to get the two of them checked out of the hospital.

Sayaka didn’t want to say it. She couldn’t say it. It honestly surprised her that Homura hadn’t immediately accused her of it. 

It was Sayaka’s fault that time had reset. Her wish was to be able to stop Homura. Homura had wished to save Madoka. Sayaka had wished to stop Homura. 

 

_Homura, come on. Speak to me. What do you want us to do this time?_

Sayaka heard no response from Homura in their mind. It had been several days since Homura had cried in the hospital. After that Homura had made no attempt to control their body not even when Sayaka let go of all control. Homura didn’t even step in to freeze time.

She sighed as she ran their hand through their black bangs. In a water puddle she could see her reflection. While Sayaka had gotten used to controlling their body she still wasn’t used to seeing Homura in her blue and white magical girl outfit.

While Sayaka had been waiting for Mami Tomoe to show up she was still surprised when she felt the cool metal of the musket barrel placed against the back of her neck. Mentally, Sayaka was glad that neither of their Soul Gems was anywhere near their head.

“I don’t recognize you so you aren’t a magical girl from around here.”

“I’m…new,” Sayaka said. She very slowly and deliberately raised her hands up and turned around to face Mami Tomoe. 

Mami’s face was like steel in the moonlight. Her musket looked deceptively pretty. Her clothing was just as stylish as it ever was.

“And what brings you here?”

“I heard that there was a veteran magical girl. I was hoping we could team up. Maybe you could give me a few pointers?”

Mami lowered her musket like Sayaka hoped she would. She knew that Mami was lonely and was hoping that her loneliness would outweigh her suspicion of a magical girl. It looks like Sayaka and been correct in her hopes.

“My name is Mami Tomoe.”

“I’m Homura Akemi, please to meet you.”

 

Mami and Sayaka high fived each other as the witch’s barrier fell. They had been working together for two weeks now. Homura hadn’t said anything about the alliance not even when Sayaka asked her if it was something she had tried before.

“Would you like to come over for cake and tea?” Mami asked with a smile as a cool breeze brushed her hair and skirt.

“Sure, I’d love that.” As far as Sayaka had told Mami, she was friendless at her new school. It was both the truth and a lie at the same time. She still considered Madoka and Hitomi to be friends, but the two had no idea about who she was.

She followed Mami to her cozy apartment, overstuffed to make up for all the loneliness that the veteran magical girl faced everyday. There were plush pillows on top of comfortable chairs, three different teapots each in a different style, the kitchen always smelt like something delicious had just been baked in it.

“Homura, please sit down and make yourself comfortable,” Mami said as she went into the kitchen.

Sayaka slipped her shoes off before moving to the table and sitting on one of the cushions next to it. It wasn’t long until she could smell the tea. There really was nothing better after fighting a witch then having a cup of Mami’s tea. It would be nice if they were allies on every loop.

Mami came out of the kitchen with a tray. The white teapot with the yellow roses was the one she had used this time. There were a pair of matching teacups and two slice of what looked like Mami’s honey cake. Mami busied herself with setting the tray on the table and pouring each of them a cup of tea.

“Have you ever heard of two magical girls sharing the same body?”

“Yes, I have heard of one instance of that happening.”

“Really?” Sayaka tried to keep the hope and excitement out of her voice. “Can you tell me about them?”

“I have heard about a wandering magical girl with two Soul Gems. I’ve heard two stories about her. One is that she is one girl with a split personality and the other is that they are a pair of twins that share a body.”

“Do you know where I can find out more about her?”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t heard anything about her in a long time. She has most likely fallen.”

Sayaka studied the liquid in her teacup. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing. At least herself and Homura weren’t the only magical girls that had found themselves in a situation like this.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with your problem.”

“That’s alright- Wait, how did you know about that?”

“You are wearing two Soul Gems, Homura. I probably wouldn’t have noticed in battle, but we have been spending time together so it was only natural.”

“When I made my wish we were both put into the same body. I didn’t realize it would do something like that. I want us to be separate again, but neither of us can remove either Soul Gem.”

“I see,” Mami said. “Have you considered going to talk to Kyubey about this?”

Sayaka hid her unease at that question by shoving a forkful of moist cake into her mouth. She could taste the honey and the cinnamon. Without trying to look like she was stalling, she thoroughly chewed and swallowed the bite of cake.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to him about this. I’d rather fix this with my own power.”

“That’s a rather commendable attitude to have, but don’t forget that it isn’t just your own life at risk. There is also the girl you are sharing a body with and myself. That’s before we even talk about all the people in this city depending on us to protect them.”

“You’re right, Mami. Let me think about it for a few days.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

In a few days it would be Walpurgisnacht.

 

Sayaka punched the wall in anger. Her hand hurt and a small amount of blood stained her white gloves from the inside. She and Mami had been so close to doing it. Walpurgisnacht had been beaten by Madoka once more. Then she became a witch that was even more powerful.

“Why might have one if you’d helped us, Homura.”

_What’s the point? We succeeded once and time reset. This month is just going to keep going no matter what we do._

“There has to be a way out of this.”

_There is one._

“What’s that?”

_Take your sword and smash my Soul Gem. Once it is destroyed the time loop will stop._

“No! What happened to the girl that kept on going when everyone else hated her? The girl that never gave up and kept going through sheer stubbornness can’t give up now.”

_She realized how pointless it was to keep trying._

“This is all my fault,” Sayaka mumbled.

_Yeah, it is_

The conversation ended when the world around them warped. It didn’t matter who was in control of the body. When it was time to go back it was time to go back.

 

Homura watched Sayaka struggle through loop after loop. She made many of the same mistakes that Homura had in the past. Sayaka never did any better than Homura on her own did. She had less patience for the other Sayaka than Homura ever did. 

Homura knew that if it wasn’t for Sayaka keeping her Soul Gem clean that Homura would have been a witch. She knew that she should care. She knew that she should keep fighting and struggling. What was the point? Each timeline seemed to get worse and worse. The one time that she had succeeded and Sayaka’s wish sent them back in time.

The problem was that their wishes were mutually exclusive. Homura would keep repeating until she succeeded in saving Madoka. Any time Homura succeeded Sayaka’s wish would kick in and reset time so that Sayaka could stop Homura.

It was kind of cruel of the universe to do this. The time she had saved Madoka it couldn’t have happened without Sayaka but it was Sayaka herself that had ruined it.

Now she just didn’t care anymore. Nothing she did could save Madoka or the two of them. At least if everyone turned into witches they could all be together like in one of those precious few timelines that they had been a team of five in.

 

Sayaka kept pressing on. She didn’t have the practiced efficiency that Homura did, but still she kept going with her sword in hand. Every loop she did at least one thing differently. Every loop ended in failure. Sayaka didn’t want a reward from anyone. She didn’t even want to be forgiven. All she wanted was to make things better.

Homura hadn’t spoken to her for more loops than Sayaka could count. She knew that Homura was there. Sayaka could feel her presence. Nothing she said or did could entice Homura to come out.

Finally, Sayaka found herself doing the one thing that she thought that she’d never do. She went to Kyubey.

“Incubator?” Sayaka called out.

“I am here, Homura Akemi,” Kyubey said. He had seemingly appeared out of nowhere to balance on a nearby statue.

“I want to know what happens when two wishes are mutually exclusive.”

“Usually the wish of the girl with the higher magical potential wins out, but those situations can be unpredictable.”

“I see. I’m not Homura Akemi. I’m Sayaka Miki. Homura’s wish caused a time loop. My wish trapped me in the same body as her and now I’m stuck in a time loop with her.”

“It isn’t unheard of for two magical girls to reside in one body, though usually there is a biological connection between them to begin with. The time loop aspect is fascinating. Would the mutually exclusive part be the conditions for exiting the time loop?”

For the first time in a long time, Sayaka could feel Homura stirring inside. She was lucky that Homura was so out of practice at asserting herself for control of the body. Sayaka knew that Homura would be trying to stop her.

“Yes. Her wish was to prevent the death of Madoka Kaname. My wish was to stop her plans.”

_What are you doing?_

_I’m trying to find a way out._

_You can’t trust him!_

_I know. But I’m out of ideas._

Kyubey tilted his head but he did not speak to Sayaka. He stayed like that for several seconds. Sayaka had seen that once or twice before. He was reporting in and requesting orders at the same time.

“I can propose one solution.”

“What’s that?”

“We have the ability to forcibly combine two Soul Gems into one. The resulting being would be a blend of Sayaka Miki and Homura Akemi, but would be a unique existence. Your powers, abilities, knowledge, and even wishes would be combined.”

“How would that help us?” Sayaka asked.

“Your wish was to stop Homura Akemi. The new being would not be Homura Akemi and so while the wish would still exist it would no longer be relevant.”

“Alright, we’ll do it.”

“We haven’t done this procedure in millennia. It will take time to prepare.”

“How long?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

“All right, in twenty-four hours we’ll be ready.”

 

Homura spent twenty-four hours fighting Sayaka tooth and nail. She argued, demanded, pleaded, anything at all to attempt to change Sayaka’s mind about doing this. It had been so long since Homura had attempted to exert any control over her body that she found that she didn’t know how to any more. The thought of her being replaced by this new being scared her. Yes, it meant that neither girl technically had to die, but could you really say that they’d be surviving either.

_Sayaka, stop it!_

“I’m sorry, but this is the only way out without either of us dying.”

_I’d rather die._

“I know, but I don’t want you to die and I don’t want to die either. You’re a good person. You don’t deserve to just fade away. 

“If I was gone do you really think you could fulfil your wish on your own? The only time you succeeded was when the two of us worked together. So, this makes sense.”

“Homura Akemi, Sayaka Miki, are you ready?” Kyubey said as he appeared inside the living room of their apartment.

_No, please, don’t do this._

“Yeah, we’re ready.”

They vanished along with Kyubey as they were teleported someplace else. 

The first thing Sayaka noticed was that the floors were a blue crystal that seemed to pulse. It was also oddly silent. There were Incubators all around but none were making any noise. The ceiling matched the floor. The walls were more of a grey with a hint of blue to them. She could see a door in the far wall but no windows.

“Relax and lie down on the bed behind you,” Kyubey said. Even though all the Incubators looked alike, somehow Sayaka and Homura knew it was the one that they had encountered so many times.

_We can still get away!_

Sayaka ignored Homura as she laid down on the bed. As soon as she did she felt disconnected from their body. She tried to lift a hand and realized that she couldn’t.

Nothing visibly changed. The light remained the same. None of the Incubators moved. Inside of Sayaka and Homura everything changed. Their personalities, quirks, memories, all of it was being forcibly unraveled. The incubators would look at a memory, decide it wasn’t needed and then cut it out. They would pick and choose the personality traits that they liked best from each girl. They would put the new chimera magical girl inside of an artificially created Soul Gem.

“What….are….you….doing?” It was difficult even for the girls in question to tell if it was Homura or Sayaka that asked.

“We are decompiling the two of you, taking the most useful parts, and recompiling them into a new person. We are also adding a subconscious telepathic signal that will report everything to us even if you were to somehow turn back time.

“We did take Madoka Kaname away from Earth. She has been placed in a quantum lock. So you don’t need to worry anymore. She can never die or suffer.”

They tried to focus on their best friend. Madoka Kaname was the girl they knew growing up. Madoka Kaname was the girl that befriended them on their first day of school. Madoka went with them to the mall. Madoka saved them from a witch. Madoka was…

Then the memory was gone, discarded by the Incubators.

In its place was a feeling of loyalty and devotion to the Incubators.


End file.
